Artificial fuel and process of making the same



May 13 H. c. DIERS ARTIFICIAL FUEL AND PROCESS OF MAKING THESAME Filed Marc 14 192x Awdnwsv WITNESS:

Patented May 13, 1924! UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY C. DIERS, OF MAR-SHFIELD, OREGON, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH TO GEORGE A. MARTIN, ONE-FOURTH TO EARL W. MGINTURFF, AND ONE-FOURTH TO WILLIAM T. STOLL, ALL 0']? MARSI-IFIELD, OREGON.

Application filed March 14, 1921. Serial No. 452,294.

To all whom it may concern:

4 Be it known that I, HENRY C. DIERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at 'Marshfield, in the county of Coos and State of Oregon, have invented new and useful Improvements in Artificial Fuel and Processes of Making the Same, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to artificial fuel An important and more specific object is the provision of'such a process which involves the carbonizing of wood and lignite separately and then mixing them together with a certain percentage of the distillates obtained and subsequently mixing, heating and then compressing the mass which when dry is then broken up.

In carrying out my process I take any desired quantity of waste wood of any kind and lignite and distill them in separate re torts whereby to remove from them the wood tar, coal tar, light oil and the moisture. The carbonized wood, or charcoal and the carbonized lignitc are then pulverized by any suitable means and to this powdered material is added a certain percentage of the wood tar and coal tar previously distilled from the wood and lignite. This mixture is thoroughly agitated and is heated in any suitable retort to a ten'lperature of almost the ignition point. The mass is discharged from the heating device, while still very hot, onto a suitably constructed hard bed of very hard material with which cooperates a suitable roller having rolls heated to a temperature of from three hundred and fifty to four hundred degrees Fahren heit (substantially above the boiling point of water). The mass discharged onto this bed is rolled back and forthby means of the roller until the mixture is formed into a solid homogeneous mass. After each layer is thus rolled a subsequent layer is added and also rolled and this operation is con tinued till the desired thickness of the finished sheet is obtained. In actual practice, this operation is continued until a thickness of one to two feet is obtained. After the mass is cooled it is broken into pieces of suitable size (i. e. of the sizes of ordinary coal) and is then used in exactly the same manner as coal.

The annexed drawing indicates a suitable form of apparatus for carrying out the process, said apparatus forming the subject matter of my copending application 458,138 filed April 2, 1921. Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic sketch. Fig. 2 shows some details of the same. 10 indicates a grinder of any approved form, which is provided for the purpose of reducing the coal, lignite, wood or other similar material to a finely divided condition. This grinder discharges into the lower end of the elevator 11, which may contain a belt conveyor or the like, not shown. At the upper end, this discharges into a bin, 13, thence into hopper 14, from which the material is elevated by conveyor 15, from which the material drops into the retort 21, whiclris heated, for instance, by furnace 23, which maybe fired by gas in,- troduced through pipe 30 or otherwise. Leading from the upper portion of the retort is the pipe 28, which conducts the vapors andv gases into the hydraulic main 29'. The carbonized material from the retort is discharged into a closed box 31, and may be cooled by a spray from pipe 32. The horizontal conveyor 35 carries the material into a grinding device or crusher 37 from which the pulverized material is elevated by the conveyor 38, into the mixing box 40. A suitable binder such as coal tar, wood tar or pitch, is delivered from tank 41 to pipe 42, into the mixing box 40, and the material after being thoroughly mixed is discharged through the chute 48 into the car 44, after which it is dumped upon the bed 45, provided with a heating coil 46, through which steam or the like may be circulated. A roller device, such as a small steam road roller, may then be used to compress the material into a cake. The roller 47 is provided with wide wheels 48, on axles 49, and is operated in the usual manner. The wide wheels or rollers 48, can be steam heated if desired. The cakes can subsequently be broken up and the finished fuel, elevated by the co11- veyor into the storage tank 51, from which it is discharged through chute 52 into the wagon 53 for delivery to, the consumers, or elsewhere.

I have found from experiment that this artificial fuel will burn on the outside of the lump without smoke, in, the same manner as anthracite coal or coke. I have also noted that the mass holds together during;-

combustion and that clinkering in the furnace or lire-box is prevented. It is also. to be observed that before burning, the artificial material retains its. form and integrity under changing climatic conditions even though it is entirely exposed: to the weather.

It is of course to be understood that many variations in the percentage of its ingredients may be resorted to but in actual practice I have found that by mixing equal amounts of carbonized lignite and charcoal with about six percent of the distilled mixture of coal tar and wood tar as a binder, I can produce an artificial fuel approximately as good as the best grades of anthracite coal. By varying the proportion of lignite, carbon, charcoal and binder I can of coursemake any grade of fuel desired and having dili'erent degrees of hardness, the different grades being adapted for various different purposes as will be ofcourse understood. Another advantage. of my process is that the water is removed originally so that none of the heat during combustion is Wasted for evaporating the water.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that I have thus provided a process for producing a highly useful product from material which is ordinarily wasted, my invention thus adding materially to the resources of the country inasmuch as useless matter is convertible into valuable material.

Having thus described my invention what I claim:

1. A slabof; artificial fuel consisting of carbonized: lignite charcoal and a tar binder, the latter being in such small amount as to make the fuel, substantially smokeless. when burned, such slabbeing of great area, Whereby it, can. be subdivided into pieces.

2. A process of making fuel which comprises mixing hot carbonized fuel as coming from a carbonizing retort, and while at near the temperature of ignition, with a tarry binder, and promptly spreading out such mixture on a hard surface and runnin a hot heavy roller over the same, to simul taneously drive out Water vapor, and other vapors, to compress the loose mass into a hard slab; and, to bond the same, and thereafter subdividing such a slab into pieces of a size convenient for handling.

3. The process of making artificial lump fuel, which consists in comminuting carbonized lignite, mixing the. same with comminuted charcoal and a binder of tar, heating the samealmost to the ignition point, and then rolling the mass with heated rollers intothe form of a block, and breaking up the latter.

5%. A process of making artificial fuel from carbonaceous, matter of organic origin, which comprises destructively distilling the same tov form a carbonized mass in the form of relatively small porous pieces, spreadin-g out the carbonized matter while in a highly heated state, mixing with a binder of a tarry nature, and without allowing the same to cool, rollinga hot heavy roller over the same, the. active surface of such roller being at a temperature substantially above the boiling point of water, whereby a huge slab. of solid fuel is formed, and subdividing this slab into pieces.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

HENRY C. DIERS. 

